Category Archives: From the Lowell Film Collaborative

See the FINAL film in our Eco Film Series — “With My Own Two Wheels” screens in Lowell on June 25!

by

"With My Own Two Wheels" screens in Lowell, June 25th!

Join the Lowell Film Collaborative for the FINAL film in our “Land, Air & Water” Eco Film series co-hosted with our Screen Partner, Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust! Its been an absolute pleasure to work with such an amazing organization to present SIX stunning films, each with a different ECO theme. June’s theme is sustainability, and we are proud to screen With My Own Two Wheels, the award-winning documentary that poignantly weaves together five international stories to showcase how the bicycle is changing the lives of people around the world. We can’t help but make this summer movie event a Bike-In Film Screening, so cyclists, show your bicycle solidarity and use pedal power to get to our venue! The Visitor Center is located right in downtown Lowell and bike racks are at the Visitor Center parking lot at 304 Dutton Street. We look forward to seeing everyone — using pedals, feet, or vehicles — on Tuesday, June 25th!

Lowell National Historical ParkWITH MY OWN TWO WHEELS (2011, 44 mins)
Tuesday, June 25 @ 6:30PM  |  Doors @ 6PM
Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center
246 Market Street
(free parking in the VC parking lot at 304 Dutton Street)
Free admission, but donations are gratefully appreciated!

ABOUT THE FILM: For many Americans, the bicycle is a choice. It’s an expensive toy, a collectible or hobby, or an eco-conscious mode of transportation. But for countless others across the globe, it’s much more! With My Own Two Wheels features five compelling, life-changing stories all made possible by the bicycle: For Fred, a health worker and caregiver in Zambia, the bicycle is a means of reaching twice as many AIDS patients during his daily visits. For Bharati, a teenage girl in India, the bicycle literally provides her access to education. For Mirriam, a disabled Ghanaian woman living with Polio, working on bicycles is an escape from the stigma attached to disabled people in her community. For Carlos, a farmer in Guatemala, pedal power is a way to help neighbors reduce their impact on the environment. And for Sharkey, a young man in California, the bicycle is an escape from the gangs that consume so many of his peers.

Told through the lens of filmmaker Jacob Siegel-Boettner, With My Own Two Wheels weaves together the incredible experiences of these five individuals into a single story about how the bicycle is changing the world — one pedal stroke at a time!

Learn more about global efforts to use the bicycle for change!  > WorldBicycleRelief.org

The bicycle as a vehicle for change around the world!

• • •

Mass Cultural Council
This event is partially supported by a grant from the Lowell Cultural Council, a local agency funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a stage agency. 

 

On Tuesday, May 28: Experience “The Greatest Return,” the FIFTH film of our 6-month Eco Film Series with Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust!

by

View the trailer for "The Greatest Return"[Click on the gorgeous cheetah to view the film trailer]

Join the Lowell Film Collaborative and Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust for the 5th (and second-to-the-last) film of “Land, Air & Water,” our 6-month Eco Film Series! This month’s theme of “conservation” resonates brilliantly with our screening of The Greatest Return, a 42-minute documentary featuring seven of the world’s leading experts in conservation as they host a public forum to discuss their life’s work. Stunning wildlife photography and archival footage add to director Matt Mays’ cinematic vision!

Lowell National Historical ParkTuesday, May 28 @ 6:30PM  |  Doors @ 6PM
Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center
246 Market Street
(free parking in the VC parking lot at 304 Dutton Street)
Free admission, but donations are gratefully appreciated!

THE GREATEST RETURN (2011)

Not Rated  |  42 mins
Official Selection (Documentary Short) — 20th Annual Heartland Film Festival (2011)

ABOUT THE FILM: Produced and directed by Matt Mays and photographed by Bill Baker, The Greatest Return chronicles the stories of seven of the most renowned and accomplished conservationists in the world as they make a once-in-a-lifetime group appearance to discuss their views on past, present, and future issues that threaten the livelihoods of our planet’s creatures. Mays’ film features five finalists for the 2010 Indianapolis Prize: elephant biologist Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, cheetah conservationist Dr. Laurie Marker, snow leopard expert Dr. Rodney Jackson, ocean ecologist Dr. Carl Safina, and landscape preservationist, Dr. Gerardo Ceballos. Two more passionate activists, conservation biologist Dr. George Schaller and wildlife filmmaker Alan Root, are also showcased. As the talented filmmaker who handled most all of the production for the videos presented at the Indianapolis Prize Galas since 2006, Mays combines footage from the remarkable group discussion among these icons with stunning HD on-location video chronicling their field work in Africa, Nepal, Namibia, Mexico, and across the oceans of the world!

Please note: The FINAL film of our Eco Film Series will take place on Tuesday, June 25th!

> View/download the “Land, Air & Water” Eco Film Series Brochure (PDF)

• • •

Mass Cultural Council
This event is partially supported by a grant from the Lowell Cultural Council, a local agency funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a stage agency. 

 

SAVE THE DATE: Lowell’s 4th Annual Outdoor Bike-In Film Screening at Shedd Park Pavilion features “YERT” on June 11th!

by

YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip (2011)
Tuesday, June 11 @ 7PM (film starts at dusk)
Shedd Park Pavilion • 433 Rogers Street (Rt. 38)
Free admission & movie snacks!

Since we’ll be underneath the roof of the Pavilion and protected from the elements, this event is RAIN or SHINE. Be sure to bring your own lawn chair, dress for the weather, and if you’re biking to our venue, please BIKE SAFELY!

See YERT The Movie

Join the Lowell Green Building Commission and the Lowell Film Collaborative for their 4th Annual Outdoor Bike-In Film Screening at Shedd Park Pavilion and see the multi-award winning YERT (Your Environmental Road Trip), a groundbreaking adventure and celebration of the American spirit in the face of adversity! This thought-provoking, inspiring, and (most importantly) hilarious documentary showcases the courageous and creative individuals, groups, businesses, and leaders across the U.S. who are tackling the greatest environmental threats in history. Called into action by the ever-increasing threats of planetary catastrophe — from climate change to toxic pollution, from water scarcity to habitat destruction — Mark Dixon, Ben Evans, and Julie Dingman Evans upend their lives, pool their collective life-savings, and set off on a first-of-its-kind, 50-state, year-long journey of discovery to personalize sustainability and to answer a critical question: ARE WE DOOMED?

• • •

Thanks to our event supporters Next Step Living and Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust!

Next Step Living             Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust

 

Experience a provocative documentary with a message of hope: “The Economics of Happiness” screens in Lowell, April 30!

by

"The Economics of Happiness" screens in Lowell, April 30!

Far from the old institutions of power, people are starting to forge a very different future …

Join the Lowell Film Collaborative and Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust for the 4th film of “Land, Air & Water,” our 6-month Eco Film Series that continues through June 2013! In the groundbreaking, award-winning documentary The Economics of Happiness, we’ll experience a provocative film created in two distinct parts: In part one, we see the roots of globalization and how big business actually breeds cultural self-rejection, competition, and divisiveness. However, in contrast, the second half offers us not only hope and inspiration, but also a SOLUTION. Come experience an evening of film with a positive message of global unity, progress, and the goodness of humanity!

Lowell National Historical Park

Tuesday, April 30 @ 6:30PM  |  Doors @ 6PM
Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center  •  246 Market Street
(free parking in the VC parking lot at 304 Dutton Street)
Free admission, but donations are gratefully appreciated!

THE ECONOMICS OF HAPPINESS (2011)

Not Rated  |  67 mins

Written & Directed by Helena Norberg-Hodge, Steven Gorelick, John Page
> TheEconomicsofHappiness.org
> On Facebook
> @EconofHappiness

“A powerful new film that cuts deeply to the heart of the global crisis. Magnificent!”
- David Suzuki, television presenter and environmentalist

A Note from the Directors: “At the International Society for Ecology and Culture, we have spent the last three decades raising awareness of the underlying causes of the many crises we face today. From climate change to terrorism, financial insecurity to the epidemic of depression – we have argued that most of our most pressing problems can be traced back to an unsustainable global economic system. More importantly, we have pointed to a strategic way to address these problems simultaneously: economic localization.

The Economics of Happiness offers not only a big-picture analysis of globalization, but a powerful message of hope for the future. The thinkers and activists we interviewed for the film come from every continent, and represent the interests of the great majority of people on the planet today. Their message is unambiguous: in order to respect and revitalize diversity, both cultural and biological, we need to localize economic activity. They argue that a systemic shift – away from globalizing economic activity and towards the local – is an almost magic formula that allows us to reduce our ecological footprint while increasing human well-being.

We have found the process of making this film incredibly inspiring. Simply to see the multitude of grassroots movements afoot has been heartening – a testimony to human goodwill and resilience. We hope that The Economics of Happiness will bring the same inspiration to viewers around the world. It provides insight, hope, reassurance and above all, motivation to join in the growing localization movement. Bringing the economy closer to home can not only save us from environmental and economic catastrophe, it can help us to re-discover those essential relationships – both with the living world and with one another – that ultimately give our lives meaning and joy.”
- Helena Norberg-Hodge, Steven Gorelick, John Page

> View/download the “Land, Air & Water” Eco Film Series Brochure (PDF)

• • •

Mass Cultural Council
This event is partially supported by a grant from the Lowell Cultural Council, a local agency funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a stage agency.